Sweets, snacks, and dental caries: South African interracial patterns.

Sucrose has been thought to cause dental caries; sweets and snacks being primarily responsible, together with plaque and their respective interactions. Dietary questionnaires revealed that in 3 to 5 yr olds, protein in black, colored, Indian, and white groups provided 12 to 15% of total intake, fats 10 to 17%, and carbohydrates 69 to 78%. At 16 to 17 yr old, patterns remained essentially similar. Sucrose provided about one-quarter of intake, sweets and snacks less than one-tenth, but dental caries prevalence increased rapidly from black to white. This raised several questions regarding current concepts of caries causation. Are genetic, immunological and other dietary factors also responsible for caries levels experienced?